Blackheath is the stumbling block in a grand plan to complete a four lane highway between Katoomba and Lithgow with seemingly no workable options short of a tunnel than the large scale destruction of homes and businesses and with it the village charm of this popular mountain top retreat.

As the RMS and Roads Minister Paul Toole weave their way through what they see as workable possibilities the whole exercise has become a nightmare for residents and those who fear their livelihood will disappear beneath bitumen.

Blue Mountains Council has again voiced unanimous opposition to the proposals as they stand and has demanded the removal of what they say are 'divisive options'.

What is particularly galling in all this is the acknowledgement that the work will allow even more monstrous B Doubles to join the daily conga line of trucks over the Mountains.

Oh, and the estimate the work will save 10 minutes on a road trip between Lithgow and Penrith on a good day.

A lot of pain for doubtful gain.

SPRINGTIME seems in a hurry to arrive this year, if you discount the wintry blasts of recent days.

We were only two days into August and the blossoms were bustin' out all over on street trees in Hoskins Avenue in Lithgow, quickly followed by our traditional harbinger of Spring, the avenue of trees in Birdwood Street.

There's early promise there. Now lets see Ma Nature deliver.

ACCORDING to a correspondent well versed in such things we didn't tell the full story last week when reporting on the dwindling number of working pubs in our Council area.

Seems we missed Portland who have had no pubs for quite some time but three clubs (although word is the Coronation is set for revival a little down the track), Cullen Bullen that lost its village pub ages ago, and our most historic hostelry, the Donnybrook, that is still out of action.

Anyone for a beer?

COULDN'T fail to be impressed by the creativity of a correspondent in the Sydney Morning Herald the other day who discovered during the idle moments of lockdown you can sing our national anthem to the tune of 'Ghost Riders In The Sky'.

And it really works; try it.

Can't see it catching on though; our lip syncing sport stars have enough trouble already with the standard version of 'Advance Oz Fair'.

DO producers of TV documentaries and current affairs programs ever view their own products? Surely not if the measure is the overpowering and totally unnecessary background 'music' they inflict on their viewing public.

The ABC and SBS are the worst offenders but they're all guilty of this unwelcome and sloppy intrusion into an otherwise pleasant snooze in front of the box.

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